Houston Astros: Placing Yuli Gurriel at second base likely won't work

The Houston Astros are going through a rough stretch of injuries, particularly with Jose Altuve who is now on the 10-Day DL with right knee soreness. Yuli Gurriel has been tapped as the starter at 2nd base, will it work out? Probably not.

The Houston Astros are 67-39 and still maintain a five-game lead in the AL West but the injury bug has unfortunately bit them hard. With Jose Altuve heading to the 10-Day disabled list with right knee soreness, there certainly will be some tweaking of this roster to hold things together until he’s ready to return.

Altuve exited this past Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies on the road as hasn’t been in the lineup since. This is a peculiar predicament for the Houston Astros as Altuve hasn’t missed more than 15 games since his debut in 2012.

What influence did Astros owner Jim Crane have on acquiring Justin Verlander via trade? Take a listen to Houston Sports Talk, my favorite podcast while host Robert Land talks with Ben Reiter, author of “Astroball.” You don’t want to miss any of it:

But it was bound to happen as with this many games under his belt, the body tends to have way of telling anybody that it’s time to rest. But it couldn’t have been a better time for Altuve to get hurt, during this stretch where the team is just biding time until the playoffs start in the next couple of months.

The Houston Astros will take their time with bringing him back until he’s fully healthy, despite the valiant efforts he will make to try to get back in the field. Altuve is one of those type of players that you’d have to pry him away from the bag to ensure that he gets a day off.

Utility man Marwin Gonzalez will take the bulk of the time at second base while Altuve is nursing his injury but what happens when MarGo needs a day off? That’s the question of the day and it looks like A.J. Hinch has the answer.

Yuli Gurriel has gotten the nod from the skipper to make the start at second base today. As

More from House of Houston

interesting as that may sound, my initial reaction is that this may not necessarily be where his strength would be and I think he’s not going to be quick enough to make the necessary dynamic turns needed to get guys out.

Gurriel has only started and second base one other time in his career so this is new territory for him.

I’d love to see Tony Kemp get some reps in at the position because he’s a natural at the position but just has had to play the outfield since being called up.

Hinch, of course, is playing the match ups but I’d rather see Kemp get the time in than Gurriel at that position. It’s expected that the Arlington Rangers will deploy multiple left-handed batters in today’s tilt as they try to look to sweep the series.

But all-in-all, first base is home for Gurriel.

When asked by MLB.com’s Christian Boutwell about he getting any reps at the position before his start today, Yuli replied “Haha no. I haven’t had any time to do it.”

Let’s hope this isn’t a disaster ladies and gentlemen.

First base is perfect for Yuli as mobility is more limited at that position. It’s also a place where former outfielders go to end their careers as their quickness degrades over time. I’m not saying that Gurriel is at that point but I don’t think he’ll be able to cut the mustard at that position.

Nonetheless, I’m absolutely intrigued to see how this pans out and I’m certainly hoping for the best.

Next. . dark

Gurriel, 32, has a slash line of .292/.415/.738 with 54 ribbies and six homers on the season through 366 plate appearances this season.

Home/Houston Astros

Houston Astros: Placing Yuli Gurriel at second base likely won’t work

By Brian K. Patterson | Jul 29, 2018

The Houston Astros are going through a rough stretch of injuries, particularly with Jose Altuve who is now on the 10-Day DL with right knee soreness. Yuli Gurriel has been tapped as the starter at 2nd base, will it work out? Probably not.

More from House of Houston